June 24, 2008

Simple Summer Side: Corn Salad

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We finally found tomatoes at the Memphis Farmer's Market! I thought it was still too early, but those good folks at the Jones Orchard booth had beautiful tomatoes this past weekend. We were also lucky enough (read: early enough) to get some fresh garlic from our favorite arugula guy. So, last night we decided to use both the tomatoes and the garlic in a corn salad to go with our grilled barbecue chicken for dinner. If that doesn't sound like a good southern summer dinner, then I just don't know what does! Corn, tomatoes, cooking on the grill...I love summertime. Our herb garden is thriving, so I was happy to have some fresh basil to pair with my corn- basil and corn are so good together, no matter what the dish. To top off all of my wonderful fresh ingredients, my friend Julie brought me some delicious champagne vinegar back from her recent trip to Napa , so I used that to season my corn salad. Thanks, Julie!

salt and pepper to taste (I used about 1/2 t salt and 6 grinds black pepper)

For the corn: if you plan to grill the corn, the way I did, then you will need to soak it in water for about 30 minutes prior to grilling to keep the husks from burning off right away. I recommend throwing the ears on the grill over high heat for about 10 minutes. If you want more of a grilled flavor, you can take the husks off before grilling and let the corn get a little charred. I love corn this way.You can also just boil the corn if you prefer, so long as it's cooked!

For the salad: Combine all ingredients and taste for seasoning. Add a little more vinegar if you like it a little more tart, and season to taste with salt and pepper. I would recommend that your chopped items, with the exception of the garlic, be about the same size as kernels of corn. Enjoy all summer long!

*Tomatoes are super juicy, so when I am adding them to just about anything, I like to cut them, salt them, and then let them rest on paper towels for a few minutes to get some of that juice out. In this case, I went ahead and chopped them small for my salad before letting them rest.

**I apologize for my absence- I have been so lazy in the kitchen since I got pregnant! We have been eating out A LOT. I guess the abundance of summer has jarred me out of my cooking hiatus...thanks for your patience!